


what will it take to make or break this hint of love? (only time)

by womanaction



Series: long distance relationship (phone sex au) [4]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 12:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11463513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womanaction/pseuds/womanaction
Summary: After a dinner goes badly, Annie has an inventive solution.





	what will it take to make or break this hint of love? (only time)

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a-mi-zivi, although with like zero angst bc I can't let these babies be sad.

Troy is having a pretty good Christmas break.

It’s not _his_ break – he doesn’t celebrate Christmas, and for the past year and a half he’s been sailing around the world instead of going to school or working at anything his family would consider a job. But it was hard work and he’s loaded now because of it, so it was pretty job-shaped, making now his vacation.

He isn’t really thinking about the future for now, but he’s not sure about staying in Greendale so he’s just rented out a fancy apartment (which is apparently something you can do when you’re super rich) for the length of his stay. And in a little mini-Apartment 303 reunion preceding the big group reunion, he’s invited Annie and Abed to stay with him.

That’s what really makes it feel like a holiday. People in books and movies are always saying they didn’t realize how much they’d miss their friends when they went off journeying or whatever, and Troy’d always thought that was pretty silly. Of course he knew he’d miss his friends, and of course he thought about them every day he was gone. But when he’s hugging Abed hello (for the fifth time) he finds himself saying, “I missed you _so much_ ” like it’s a revelation.

They fess up pretty quickly about being in a relationship with each other. Old Troy probably would have freaked more, but New Troy feels balanced about the whole thing. They’re the two cutest people he knows, after all, so their relationship has to be even cuter. Plus, any doubts he might have entertained about his place in their new friendship are dispelled within the first few hours. Things are refreshingly normal, like none of them ever left. They’ve all grown up a little, of course; Abed seems warmer and fuller somehow, more assured of his place in the bigger world, and Annie is more confident, wise, and harder to fluster.

(Except:

When she says that Britta couldn’t afford the rent without them so Apartment 303 has new renters now. Troy wonders aloud where Britta is living with a twinge of concern. Abed states plainly that Britta and Jeff are “platonic roommates” and Troy can’t stifle his snort.

“Yeah, we saw how well that worked for you guys. How long after I left did you two…?” He raises his eyebrows.

Annie turns bright red and says very quickly, “Nothing happened while we were living together,” which makes him even more curious about how they got together. He knows he could just ask Abed, but teasing Annie about it, however gently, is kind of more fun.)

Troy feels like he’s changed in ways he can’t begin to describe, but he’s not sure what the others think. Maybe the changes seem subtle to them, just an extra layer on top of good old Troy. Whatever the changes, they don’t mess up their familiar dynamic, and the trio enjoy a few decidedly undramatic days catching up, watching movies, and having some truly memorable adventures involving the complex’s many amenities. It’s like letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding – no responsibilities, just pure unadulterated _joy_. They spend a whole day singing Christmas songs (making up half the words since none of them know all the lyrics) and decorating as extravagantly as possible.

The day before the group hangout, Annie and Abed go to her mother’s house for dinner. Troy doesn’t think too much of it. He’d gotten used to being alone on his journey, and the rush of being around his friends again is almost overwhelming. Plus, he can use the time to figure out what he’s going to do, or at least a halfway convincing answer to give Shirley when he sees her.

When Annie and Abed come back, Troy knows something is wrong immediately. Abed’s expression is carefully blank and distant, and he walks in and locks himself in his room the way he would have done in the old Dreamatorium. Annie similarly rushes to her own room (he had set up separate rooms for them before The Secret came out), not bothering to shut the door. Troy frowns and does something he hasn’t done in a while: picks up his phone and texts the word “cantaloupe.”

“Cantaloupe,” roughly translated, means “Do you want to talk about it?” but with less pressure. He doesn’t bother Abed until he gets a “cantaloupe” back, which sometimes takes hours or days. It’s a delicate system, but it works.

His phone buzzes, but it’s not a reply from Abed. It’s just Britta sending him a cute animal video (pretty much their main form of communication since he left). He pulls it up eagerly and starts watching, vaguely aware of Annie coming back into the room. “Annie,” he says, not looking up. He knows sometimes she likes to see cute things when she’s upset. “These kittens think they’re bunnies, you’ve got to - ”

 _Slam_. An oversized binder on the coffee table.

Troy saw a lot of scary shit when he was gone (including _really big rats_ ), but nothing came close to the manic gleam in Annie’s eye right now. “I need your help,” she says breathlessly.

She follows his gaze to the bulging binder and adds, “This is actually work stuff, it’s just for dramatic effect. I’m going to need a new binder for this.”

 

Okay, so the plan is simple: Annie’s from the future.

Three and a half years into the future, to be exact. She’d been a little worried about getting the time exactly right so it was distant enough to be comforting and flexible but not so far off it was scary. Three and a half is good.

She doesn’t know how she got here, she just woke up in her younger self’s body and figured things out. _Keep it simple_ , Troy had cautioned her.

She shakes out the tension in her arms, checks her phone (Troy sent the go ahead text 2 minutes ago), and walks into the living room. “Troy? Abed?” she asks, letting her honest uncertainty bleed into her words.

“Annie, are you okay? You look weird,” Troy says. Still a little stilted even after her coaching but, _eh, it’ll do_. She looks at Abed, who’s registering mild concern.

“I…you guys aren’t going to believe me, but…I’m not exactly the Annie you know.”

“What do you mean?” Troy asks.

“When I went to bed last night, it was 2019,” she says dramatically, holding up her cell phone. “And now, according to this…outdated cellular device, it’s 2015.”

“You mean you’re…from the future?”

She nods solemnly.

Abed frowns and leans in. “How do we know you’re really Annie and not an impostor pretending to be Annie from the future?”

She bites her lip and makes a show of thinking. “I know things,” she says evenly. “I know the first song Troy listened to when he got back on dry land was ‘TiK ToK’ by Ke$ha.”

Troy gasps. "I haven't even told you that! ...yet.”

Abed tilts his head curiously, and instead of saying the relatively innocuous fact she had planned, she blurts, “And Abed…leprechaun.”

His eyebrows lift almost imperceptibly as she utters their safe word. Troy looks from one to the other with a mixture of amusement and confusion, and then asks with a little too much excitement, “So what can you tell us about the future? Is it awesome? Have I done anything cool?”

“Um, yeah,” she says, stumbling over her words. Frantically, she recalls her conversation with Abed in the Dreamatorium years prior. “You…invented dance p-”

“Don’t tell us anything,” Abed says loudly, cutting her off. “You could endanger the integrity of the current timeline.”

She smiles a little to herself. _According to plan_. “You sound just like my Abed,” she says meaningfully, looking into his eyes. He meets her gaze.

“So why do you think you were sent back in time?” Troy asks, delivering his final line.

Annie sighs. “I don’t know. My best guess is that I’m here to fix something that went wrong…but what, I’m not sure. 2015 seems so long ago…why, we didn’t even have laser glasses.”

“What?” says Troy.

“Nevermind. I shouldn’t say.”

She sneaks another glance at Abed. His expression gives nothing away.

It’s not hard for her to keep up the act as they set up for the party. She casually reveals the future existence of a new Fanta flavor (apricot) while they make punch, and mentions offhand a new constable on _Inspector Spacetime_. Most importantly, she makes sure to establish multiple times that future!Annie and future!Abed are still together and quite happy. “We went to see the new Batman movie last weekend,” she says at one point.

Abed’s eyes narrow, but he only says, “You mean a sequel to _Batman v Superman_ , which comes out next year?”

“Um, nope. It’s a new one.”

“No Batfleck?” Troy asks, sounding a little too invested for someone who knows she isn’t really from the future.

“No, he got…hurt in an accident and they had to recast,” she improvises quickly.

“Huh.”

Abed doesn’t look too upset by this information.

He also, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be responding to her attempts to reassure him. He hasn’t locked himself in his room but he’s keeping some distance between them. Troy had practically had to beg him to help set up instead of filming the process.

The dinner last night hadn’t exactly gone as planned. Her mom had been at her most judgmental, and instead of attacking Annie directly like usual, she had channeled most of those energies into criticizing Abed and their relationship.

Normally, Annie is definitely the more insecure one, but she knows that Abed has some doubts about their relationships ( _or maybe just relationships in general_ , she thinks, remembering that long-ago conversation in the Dreamatorium). And tonight was a high-pressure situation for them as a couple; after telling Troy, they’d revealed their relationship status to Britta and Shirley over text, but this would be the first time for them to hang out with the whole group as a couple. But she’d really thought her plan would work to communicate to Abed that she saw a future for them.

She thinks about that conversation again and smiles, grim and determined. Maybe it’s time to step up her game.

 

Abed is not thinking about last night. Clearly, the reunion is the focal point of this episode, and he assumes that Jeff and Britta are having their own A-plot in their own apartment (Shirley is still en route from Atlanta, but she’s a special guest appearance so her presence is pretty much a plot in and of itself). His role is to help set up the party, which should re-establish the status quo. He thinks of his camera, sitting on the dresser in his room. It will be necessary for him to pick it up at some point, to show that he has returned to his observer role.

Annie’s mother was unlikeable, but ultimately correct. He isn’t romantic lead material. This plotline with Annie has been enjoyable, but in the long run it’s unsustainable. Annie may imagine them going to see _Batman v Frustrated Movie Audiences_ (2019) in four years, but that’s part of her romantic nature. She likes Batman now because he likes Batman, but soon she’ll get tired of them both. It’s not a flaw on her part, just part of her role as a leading lady.

Shirley, Jeff, and Britta are supposed to arrive first as original cast members, but they’ve also invited Elroy, Frankie, and the Dean. He’s not sure if other recurring characters may show up, turning their intimate gathering into a rager, and he’s distracted from wondering about that by the first arrivals.

He absorbs himself into their presence, greeting Jeff and Britta warmly. The blonde hugs him tightly. “Where’s Annie?” she asks, and the other woman rushes over.

“Britta! I mean…2015!Britta!” she exclaims, embracing her. “And 2015!Jeff. Don’t worry, you totally age well. I know you’ve been worried about that,” she says confidentially, hugging him. The doorbell rings again and Annie runs off to get it.

“So Annie’s doing a bit?” Jeff asks with obvious amusement, watching her go.

Abed decides it’s a good time to go get his camera.

He moves in and out, filming and talking to his friends. He’s just zooming in to capture the details of Britta’s uncoordinated dance moves when he hears Shirley ask delicately, “So… _future_ Annie…I notice you’re still not wearing a ring. You don’t see yourself…on a path to marriage?”

Ah, classic Shirley. He pivots to capture Annie’s uncomfortable expression, but is surprised to see her smiling brightly. “I took it off before going to sleep,” she explains, laughing. “But you’ll be happy to hear that we’re engaged. May 17th, 2020!”

Abed feels everyone look at him (except Britta, still dancing), but he’s frozen. Through the viewfinder, he watches Shirley’s mouth make a perfect O. “I see,” she says, voice pitched high. “Congratulations.”

Annie turns, hair cascading over her shoulder, and crooks a finger at him. “Abed, Shirley says congratulations! I know you said no spoilers on the future but…”

He lowers the camera slowly and sets it on a nearby table before walking mutely over. Annie beams at him. He looks at her, confused and completely uncertain. She takes his hand and he only stares at it.

Abed had thought he understood this plot, but this was a completely unexpected turn of events. Finally, he asks, “You…want to get married?”

“I… _your_ Annie, the 2015 edition, definitely isn’t ready for something like that,” she corrects hastily. “But…2019 Annie might be.”

Her hand is very warm in his and her face is flushed. She’s embarrassed. He’s overcome with a sudden urge to kiss her, but he’s not sure of the protocol. They haven’t kissed around their friends, except for Troy. On the other hand, she just publicly admitted that she saw a real future for them, the kind he’d been unable to see with anybody until recently. “You might have changed the course of history by sharing this information,” he says instead.

She shrugs. “Nothing’s certain, Abed. But I have faith in you and 2015!Annie.”

“Is that why you were sent back in time?” he asks. He squeezes her hand and looks into her eyes, hoping that somehow she understands.

Miraculously, she does. “I – yes. That’s why, and I couldn’t tell you now. But now, I can…go back and 2015!Annie can replace me. I just need to…” she falters.

He brushes her cheek with his hand and her eyes close automatically. “Close your eyes,” he says anyway. “And count to ten.”

“What’s happening?” she breathes as her eyes flutter back open. “Abed…I can’t remember.”

“Just this,” he informs her, and kisses her. She returns the gesture with gusto.

Their friends applaud (Shirley says “Aww!”), although he hears Jeff asking Troy if “the two of them had this planned.” And, just as the applause dies down and they break apart, the door opens again and he can hear the Dean yelling over the music, “What did I miss? Did Jeffrey take off his shirt?”

It’s perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> P.S., I actually took a Buzzfeed quiz (that was up in 2015) to determine Annie and Abed's safe word. That's dedication.
> 
> Also I'm sorry that this is sooooo cheesy but also? I'm not. These two bring out my sappiest self.
> 
> NOW WITH ACCOMPANYING PLAYMOSS MIX: https://playmoss.com/en/womanofaction/playlist/aa-phone-sex


End file.
